


two times

by spencerfrogmanqqq



Series: queer reid [1]
Category: Criminal Minds (US TV)
Genre: Angst, Author has issues, Autistic Spencer Reid, Gay Spencer Reid, Homophobia, Hurt/Comfort, I apologize in advance, Lesbian Emily Prentiss, M/M, Multiple Endings, ethan deserved more than one episode, he comes out to the team
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-05
Updated: 2021-03-10
Packaged: 2021-03-18 06:34:32
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 2,017
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29854014
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/spencerfrogmanqqq/pseuds/spencerfrogmanqqq
Summary: “Hey, guys, I’ve got someone for you to meet.”—or a one-shot where my sweet baby spencer comes out to the team- set in mid-s5? no real explicit spoilers tho
Relationships: Ethan/Spencer Reid, The BAU Team & Spencer Reid
Series: queer reid [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2194872
Comments: 3
Kudos: 42





	1. the apartment

**Author's Note:**

> hey! im just gonna put this here so it makes sense! chapter 1 is the basis, the apartment scene. chapters 2&3 are different tho, they aren’t consecutive. theyre two different endings to chapter one, so yeah!! any feedback is greatly appreciated

(if you haven’t yet, go read the notes) Spencer rolled out of bed, slapping down his hand on the old alarm clock on his bedside. It was still dark outside, but he knew that it was time to get up from the blocky red letters on the screen. Dragging himself to the kitchen, he started a pot of coffee for himself and his boyfriend who would be arriving soon. As it bubbled, he rubbed the sleep out of his eyes and looked into the fridge. There wasn’t much, the remnants of last weekend’s grocery shopping running low. He pulled out a small plastic container of yogurt and a spoon, downing the whole thing in a few bites. 

As the coffee machine continued to run, he tread into the bathroom and brushed his teeth reluctantly. He had never liked the feeling of the bristles on his gums, they made his bones hurt, and the mint flavor was always too strong. Nevertheless, he counted the 120 seconds that his dentist has recommended and spit. Knowing the coffee would take a while longer in the old machine, he undressed and climbed into the shower quickly. His muscles relaxed under the hot water, but they were still tense because of the stress of the day to come. 

He finished the shower in record time (actually, 18.6 seconds less than record time), pulling on a pair of slacks and a sweater vest along with his button down shirt. He tried to dress in something casual, something that felt like him, but lately none of his clothing seemed right. He stood staring in the mirror for what seemed like an eternity, surveying the thin frame that his clothes laid on. Something felt wrong, but he played it off as jitters. The sound of the coffee machine beeping pulled him out of his thoughts, his mind set on finally getting some caffeine. His reliance on it was probably unhealthy, and he knew that, but it was hard getting enough sleep with their schedule, much less with nightmares. Before he could pick up the pot, a metallic-sounding knock reverberated through the apartment. Spencer slid over to the door, smiling at the childlike action of skating on his hardwood floors. He unlocked the door and pulled it open, Ethan standing in front of him. 

“Good morning, babe!” Ethan said, pulling Reid into a side-hug, his other arm occupied with a bag of groceries. I love this man, Spencer thought to himself, returning the embrace. With a wave of his hand, he ushered the other inside, clicking the door shut behind him. Ethan sar the bag down and immediately started emptying it into the fridge and cabinets. They had been dating for almost 5 years now, so he knew where everything went. Each food had a different placement in the kitchen, it helped him feel organized and in control, and it made a good routine. He didn’t usually eat much at home anyways, so most of the food he had was frozen or from a box. It was okay with him, the familiarity of each food was nice. He busied himself in making a mug for Ethan, glaring at the cup as he always did. Spencer was notorious for making his coffee into what was basically dessert, but Ethan drank his nearly black. Ethan looked back at him and he scrunched his nose, showing his distaste for the mug in front of him. Shutting the fridge, his boyfriend smiled lightly and picked up the mug, taking a sip and letting out an exaggerated sigh. Reid rolled his eyes and leaned over to give Ethan a kiss on the cheek. 

“You ready to go? I don’t know how it’s gonna go so I want to get there early,” Spencer said after leaning back over and taking a swig of his sickeningly-sweet coffee. Ethan nodded, continuing to nurse the mug. It was probably his second cup of the day already, but it would be hypocritical to point that out since he drank at least 8 a day. 

“Yeah, hon, you know they’ll still love you. They’re your family, nothing will change that,” he said with a smile, watching as Spencer slid on his shoes and attached his gun to his hip. Spencer seemed to ignore him but was really just processing. They really hadn’t ever discussed sexuality, besides from gay victims or unsubs. There was never a reason to bring it up, and Reid stayed quiet knowing the shit he could hear from other law enforcement. Finally though, he was tired of hiding it, mostly from his team, so he was going to bring Ethan in to meet everyone. He wasn’t all that worried about Garcia, she had expressed support outside of cases, but he didn’t have a reference point for anyone else. 

It’s now or never, he thought to himself, running on autopilot as he left the apartment with Ethan.


	2. oh no.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I APOLOGIZE IN ADVANCE  
> tw- f-slur (i am very queer so, but if it makes anybody v uncomfy, leave a comment + ill edit)

TW: F-SLUR USAGE

As he pulled into the parking garage, his heart rate spiked. He was really going to come out to his teammates, to his best friends, his family. Ethan must have seen his nervousness as he reached over and gave Spencer’s hand a squeeze. The gesture was returned with a tight-lipped smile, one that looked fake but was really full of fear. The what-ifs were running through his mind but he knew that soon enough his team would worry about him. 

Unbuckling, he gestured to Ethan to do the same. It would take a while to get him a visitor’s pass, so they needed to get in earlier than normal. The two met at the back of the car, their hands lightly intertwining even without eye contact. Spencer could feel his heart rate picking up even more as he saw Garcia standing at the entrance. She hadn’t noticed the two yet, luckily, so he had a moment to breathe. Nodding at Ethan, he disentangled their hands as to not give it away, not just yet. As soon as they had, Garcia turned around and saw the two approaching her.

“Genius boy! Hey! Who’ve you got here?” she said enthusiastically, talking with her hands just as much as with her words. Ethan waved slightly, letting Spencer decide how much he wanted to say this early.

“Morning Garcia! This is- well- this is Ethan,” he said, pausing for a moment to take a deep breath. “He’s my boyfriend.” She didn’t even look surprised, just perked up, presumably at the idea of Reid having any sort of romantic partner. 

“Sweet! Now, Ethan, if you hurt my Spencer, I will hurt you,” she said emphatically, her hands wrapping around and invisible neck. Ethan put his hands up in a mock surrender as they all climbed into the elevator together. Garcia’s acceptance calmed him down significantly, at least enough to stop physically vibrating. The ride up to the sixth floor was comfortable, Garcia humming a tune in line with the clicking of the machinery. 

Stepping out into the lobby was a reality check. The lights were perpetually too bright, making Spencer squint as his eyes became accustomed to the harsh LEDs. People were bustling around more than he had expected for so early on a Tuesday morning, but his mind barely processed that. What he saw was the rest of the team, already in the bullpen, wandering around with cups of coffee practically attached to their hands. 

He took a deep breath, looked over at Ethan, and pushed through the thick glass doors. Immediately, JJ and Morgan looked back at him, their heads tilting as they saw the guest.

"Who's this Pretty Boy?" Morgan asked, tilting his head in Ethan's general direction. He didn't look upset, more confused. Spencer stopped in his tracks, knowing that now, right now, he had to tell them all. He took a deep breath in and tried standing up straight, though he failed miserably due to anxiety.

"Morgan, JJ, Prentiss, this is Ethan, my boyfriend," Spencer said, trying to keep his face as straight, and positive, as possible. That became exponentially harder when JJ's face contorted into something he had never seen before. Not understanding, not confusion, no, this was a whole different emotion. He paused for a moment before realizing it. Disgust. Oh no. That's neither what he wanted nor what he expected, especially from her, his best friend. 

"You're gay?" JJ said incredulously, the coffee in her hand shaking slightly. "What the fuck?"

"Did you ever like, have a crush on me?" Morgan asked, his voice sharp and accusatory. 

"No- no, guys, what? I mean, I'm bi, but no, Morgan, never, Ethan and I have been dating pretty much the whole time I've been here. Why is this such a big deal?"

Prentiss spoke up for the first time in the conversation. "Why is this such a big deal? Seriously? How are we supposed to treat you after we learn that you're a fag?" 

They all stood, staring in silence for a moment, Reid on the brink of tears. _I thought they were my family._

Guess not.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> notice i didn't write hotch or rossi bc i see them as father figures to him and im projecting and i cant handle rejection from father figures <3


	3. thank god

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> here is the comfort part <3

Arriving at the office hit him like a brick wall. He could see all of his coworkers' cars in their assigned spaces, so he'd only have to do this once, but he knew that he'd have to do it now. He nodded to Ethan and they both stepped out of the car, meeting at the back and linking hands. Spencer was blinking hard, trying to focus on the feeling of his eyes opening and closing instead of the anxiety in the pit of his stomach. 

Entering the elevator, he hit the button for level six and let the metallic doors _clink_ into place. Ethan squeezed his hand lightly as a form of reassurance before a _ding_ alerted the two to their arrival. The doors slid open and he could immediately see the entire team standing in the bullpen, milling around and talking to one another. Taking one last deep breath, he pulled Ethan forward and pushed past the thick glass. Prentiss and JJ turned around from their place hunched over a case file. 

"Hey, Spence! Oh, who's this?" JJ asked tilting her head in the way that showed she was ignoring the inter-team profiling rule. Emily did the same, which drew the attention of Hotch and Rossi who were coming down the stairs.

"Hey kiddos, what's going- Oh, hi Reid! Is this bring-a-friend-to-work day?" Rossi teased, making Spencer blush lightly. 

"Well, this is Ethan, and it's actually," he paused for a moment, taking a breath and preparing himself. "It's actually bring-a-boyfriend-to-work day." A moment of silence passed before Prentiss called out loudly.

"Morgan! You owe me twenty bucks! He _does_ have a boyfriend!" 

Reid stared at her incredulously. "You guys had a bet going?"

"Duh! I mean, you didn't really do anything to hide it. And besides, I'm a big fat lesbian so," she said her eyebrows wiggling. 

"Spencer! How long have you been together? Why didn't you tell me!" JJ spoke up for the first time.

Ethan spoke this time, but was cut off by his boyfriend. "We've been together almost five y-"

"Four years, ten months, two weeks, six days, and three hours."

"Five years? Spence, you could have told us!" Just then, Garcia appeared form her layer. _Oh boy,_ he thought. 

"What could he have told us?" She ran up to him as fast as she could in five-inch heels and stared at him with the meanest eyes she had (which weren't really all that mean). 

"Uhm, Garcia, this is my boyfriend, Ethan. And no, before you ask, I'm not giving you his last name so you can stalk us." 

"You have a- nevermind. Ethan, it's so nice to meet you! If you hurt the BAU's boy wonder though, you'll be in trouble." 

Hotch shot in a remark, "Spencer, thank you for sharing this with us. Garcia, no peeking into records. Ethan, it's lovely to meet you." He reached his hand out and Ethan returned the shake with his free hand.

Spencer breathed a sigh of relief. _Everything was going to be okay._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> and that's the end!! though there will be more in the queer reid series. thank u all for reading, comments and suggestions always appreciated :]

**Author's Note:**

> here we go!!


End file.
